July 2010 in the Life of Ben (Blog)

  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December

Pizza with Zoe (31st July 2010)

My sister had been recuperating at the family home since I helped move her stuff around earlier in the week. Today we had a take-away pizza together, then I dropped her back home.

Short Cycle to Crookham Wharf (31st July 2010)

Leisurely ride out to the Wharf along the towpath.

  1. Made a point of taking in the scenery this time.
  2. Blasted down the long, downhill country lane.
  3. Sprinted up the hill to the humpback bridge.
  4. Coasted down the far side towards the swingbridge.
  5. Turned left into the woodlands, again going past a lady who was walking a dog.
  6. Winded through the trees.
  7. Lifted bike over style to ride across open green hill.

Had left that hill to the end after quite some deliberation. Lovely way to end the scenic part of the ride! Rode back on the roads. Dropped a glove whilst cycling but returned and picked it up from the road.

Aquired Much Crockery (29th July 2010)

Zoe’s old flat will receive new tennants soon, so I have had my choice of cutlery and crokery which she’ll no longer need. There’s a big mobility scooter box stacked a couple of layers deep. Gives me a great headstart for when I move out!

Items of Crockery

Quite a teasure-chest of domestic utilities:

Items of Cutlery

There was a drawer with compartments full of cutlery and I got it all!

Tried and Enjoyed a Turkish Restaurant (27th July 2010)

Walked along the South Bank for the first time and tried proper Turkish food. Have a kebab every other week, on average, but this was my first experience in one of their restaurants.

11th Blood Donation (27th July 2010)

The letter gave me any weekday in London but I’m on holiday this week. So I called the number and re-located it to Fleet. Was just about the smoothest donation yet.

  1. Used my parking permit outside the Civic Centre.
  2. Arrived slightly ahead of time, for once!
  3. Queued for a short while behind a couple who were a little disorganised.
  4. Went through the normal routine.
  5. Mentioned that my donor card had been stolen and they wrote a note on my paperwork.
  6. Still have my red 0–4 donations card.

Lost my Coat! (21st July 2010)

Probably left it on the morning train from FLE to WAT. Filled in the South West Trains lost property form and got the automated reply, included below.

Dear Ben,

This is an automated email sent from an unmanned mailbox.

Your lost property details have been received and we will now seek to match the item/s found against the details you have provided. You will be contacted if your item is found.

Date property was lost:
21/07/2010
Type of item lost:
Coats
Property Description:

Dark blue, thickly insulated waterproof outdoor coat with hood and many pockets. Inside has a tear with white fibrous insulation visible.

Front has a zip (which doesn't work), poppers and velcro. There are drawstrings at the bottom and at the top (for the hood).

Bottom front pocket will have a black woollen hat. Other bottom front pocket will have a pair of black "Thinsulate" gloves.

Presumably left on train in the morning commute from FLE to WAT.

Where did you lose the item?:
On Journey / Train
Departure time:
12:00
Arrival time:
12:00
You lost the item between:
12:00
and:
12:00
Title:
Mr
Forename(s):
Ben
Surname:
Millard
Day time phone:
[I provided my telephone number as normal text.]
Mobile phone:
[I provided my mobile phone number as normal text.]
Address Line 1:
7 Wickham Close
Post Code:
GU52 6NU
Country:
United Kingdom
Email:
[I provided my e-mail address as normal text.]

Please be aware that there is sometimes a charge to return the item and we will advise you of this cost if your item is located. This is in accordance with our National Conditions of Carriage policy for Lost Property.

If you would like to contact our Customer Services Centre, please do so using our online contact form.

Yours sincerely
South West Trains

No confirmation that my item was found. Only just noticed there are options for setting the journey times…guess they must have been optional. Couldn’t figure out the location of their office at WAT, might try again on Monday 2nd August 2010.

Had that coat for ages, bit sad that I’ve lost it. Was showing some wear and tear but still nice to use. The woollen gloves and hat in it were really good.

1st Date with Fiona (21st July 2010)

Strolled through Regents Park, taking in the roses and Japanese water garden. Carried on around the boating lake, somewhat by accident! Reached a tiny pub where the walls were lined in books. Everything from volumes of Encylopedia Brittannica to various Haynes automotive repair manuals and a joke book. Also, the food was delicious!

Found my Coat! (21st July 2010)

The Lost Property Office at London Waterloo railway station is located by exiting the station, walking down a covered service road and eventually arriving at a small door with an obscured umberella icon above it. The staff there managed to locate my coat from 20th July 2010. I had guessed it was 21st July 2010.

A sign in the interior of WAT, near a door points up and to the right. There are no stairs nearby. There is a Starbucks just inside the door. The waitress behind the counter explained the route one must take to reach the office.

When I got there, it was stiflingly hot. There are 2 kiosks behind glass, a bit like bank cashier desks. I had filled in the online form but they couldn’t find an entry for my name.

Cycled Around Fleet Pond (18th July 2010)

Rode out gently at around 7:15pm and basked in the late evening sunshine. Took time to admire the scenery, wildlife and the wonderful sense of space outdoors. Got back a little while before 9pm.

Refuelled Car for 6th Time (17th July 2010)

By 9:20pm I had started driving to Tesco in Aldershot. Managed to get a big lot of shopping (listed below) and get through the checkout just before closing at 10pm. Then drove to the garage and spent £50.01 on petrol.

Cancelled my Macau Race Level (11st July 2010)

The flat route I made in Macau Race for GTA2 will be the final version. It would take about a year to contour the route, create extra road textures and complete the cityscape surroundings. The level is not compelling enough to do that, particularly since the handling system is very weird in GTA2.

TextStudio Download Updated (4th July 2010)

The keyboard architecture improvements are proving reliable and convenient. So my shabby, homebrew HTML editor is now available with these improvements. Watching this pet project grow over the past few years has been a rollercoaster but I enjoy using it every day.